One of the great travesties of the 2020 Formula One season has been the ousting of veteran driver Sergio Perez from the Racing Point team in favour of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel for 2021.
Despite emphatically claiming a first career victory after 190 races at the Sakhir Grand Prix and also the team’s maiden win under the Racing Point moniker, the impending reality is that Checo will not be on the grid next year.
Perez is also on course to secure a career-best fourth in the driver’s championship, too, heading into the Abu Dhabi finale 13 points clear of Daniel Ricciardo. This comes even after the Mexican missed two consecutive races at Silverstone due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Mercedes, Red Bull and AlphaTauri are the only teams with seats available in 2021 on paper, but the possibility of the 30-year old joining the seven-time world champions seems unlikely, with Lewis Hamilton expected to re-sign once this season is complete.
A seat at the Red Bull junior outfit would be a step backwards for the Mexican and also out of the question, given F2 sensation and Honda prodigy Yuki Tsunoda is waiting in the wings. This would leave only Red Bull Racing itself as the only possible destination for Perez.
(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Though even ending up at the former world champions is not a clear cut decision, with team principal Christian Horner having stated that they would wait until after the final race in Abu Dhabi to make a call on whether they are to retain the under fire Alex Albon or take in a proven entity in Perez.
It could be argued that the beleaguered and financially strapped Haas outfit could have targeted Perez’s services for 2021, given that he also comes with significant sponsorship from his home country of Mexico.
Instead, the American team opted for firebrand Nikita Mazepin – who over the Sakhir Grand Prix weekend copped two five-second penalties for recklessly forcing Tsunoda off the track on the way into the pits and then even out. The second penalty was for deliberately holding up Felipe Drugovich on the main straight.
The son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who’ll be bankrolling the 21-year old’s seat at Haas, also found himself in hot water overnight for a social media post in which he was groping a female. Mazepin soon deleted the post, but Haas themselves were forced to make a statement in which they condemned Mazepin’s behaviour as “abhorrent”.
Perez’s wealth of experience, along with his funding would have been the superior match alongside rookie and newly anointed F2 champion in Mick Schumacher, instead of the potential controversies that may lie ahead with Mazepin.
(Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Nevertheless, it is a sad state of affairs upon arriving at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that this could be the final race for Perez in Formula One until at least 2022, with which the Mexican himself now seems at peace with.
“What happens is not so much in my hands at the moment, but I know and I want to keep going, so if I’m not in the grid next year I will be back in ’22,” said Perez during the post-race interviews in Sakhir.
On reflection, it is difficult not to ponder where Perez would have been today if his promotion to McLaren in 2013 as Hamilton’s successor was not aligned with the beginning in the mighty Woking team’s downturn in form.
Having initially fallen to brand the Mexican as just another pay driver after his debut 2011 campaign, 2012’s championship finish of tenth in the standings in a slow and volatile Ferrari-powered Sauber sought to immediately change the perception around Perez.
His masterful display in the Malaysian Grand Prix in changeable conditions, to push the two-time world champion in Fernando Alonso for a shot at the win, saw the emergence of Perez. Having lost the opportunity at the victory in only his sophomore season, finishing second to Alonso still saw the beginning of something special.
Perez’s reputation as a tyre saver really took off, given the extremely volatile nature of the Pirelli rubber since their introduction into Formula One in 2011 and it’s something that to this day, the Mexican holds proudly in his arsenal.
When all seemed lost at the end of the disastrous 2013 season with McLaren, a lifeline emerged with the midfield specialists in Force India heading into the hybrid-turbo era. This change of team was immediately vindicated with a podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with a further five to come since – until this drought-breaking win at the same location, albeit with a different layout.
Whether this will be Checo’s last podium in Formula One is an unknown and though the sentiment of injustice with his departure from the team he saved from extinction will still leave a bitter taste in the mouth, it’s a feel-good story in a year where warmth has been needed, that at last Perez is a race winner.
Nick
Roar Guru
I think RB would need to balance the want to give Max an unchallenged run by using a weaker partner (Albon easily fills this role), with the need to think about the constructors championship money. RB got lucky that racing point had an ordinary start to the season with clearly the second fastest car, and that Ferrari were duds. In tighter seasons, picking Perez over Albon could be the difference between 2nd and 3rd in the championship, and with it, millions of $$$$.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Micko, I'm not too sure about this one. I've said it a few times on here, but I really feel for RB it will be a great admission that their junior programme is not working. They will be loathe to do that. They would love a Merc situation, with Max out front unchallenged, and a "Bottas-like" team mate collecting points but not upsetting the apple cart. I feel with Albon, and Gasly in reserve, they might get that dynamic. Checo is a different story.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Jawad, yes F1 may only have 10 of the very best drivers in the world, but the other 10 are all still pretty good. And the "pay driver" has always been a thing in any motor sport category. Plenty levied the same charge at Perez when he first came onto the grid. I'm sad he won't be there, but he is quality, he will get a seat in Formula E or in Indycar.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Micko, I see Jawad has answered already, but yes, he was out for a few years. I may not know the exact details, but think he was enticed back by the new setup at Lotus/Renault, whatever they were calling themselves at the time. He and Romain went quite well there for a bit. Maybe we will see similar with Fernando.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
When you hear Checo say that the grid doesn't have the greatest drivers in the world on it, then it really hits you hard. Especially the romantic in you, which proudly says that F1 has the 20 best racing drivers in the world - but in reality it is about half that number.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
No worries Micko. Yup from 2010-2013 it was Alonso and Massa. Before they brought Kimi back into the team in 2014, alongside the Fonz (Fernando).
Micko
Roar Rookie
Oh wow! :shocked: Thanks Jawad, never knew that. Always thought he was in F1 since 2001 (or whatever it was?). So Ferrari had Alonso & Massa then in those years?
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Kimi did get paid by Ferrari to not fulfill his contract in 2010, which did effectively force him out of F1 after ‘09. Then of course returning in 2012 with Lotus, after a spell rallying and in some NASCAR division.
Micko
Roar Rookie
I’m pretty confident Checo is going to get that RB #2 seat. They’d be crazy to either retain Albon, or select someone else. Admittedly it’d be nice for Hulk to be back, but Checo is miles ahead of Hulk. Unfortunately for Hulkenberg, I think that might be his F1 career over. :crying:
Micko
Roar Rookie
Kimi was never off the grid, was he?
JGK
Roar Guru
Well said. It is s brutal political sport.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Think Haas missed a trick signing Mazepin instead of Checo. In saying that, its good for the fans to have a villain on the grid, and Nikita seems likely to assume that role. Its unfortunate but I think thats the end for Checo, like Hulk before him. Once off the grid, its hard to get back in as a senior driver, with Kimi and Fernando the obvious exceptions. Time will tell I guess.